The present invention relates to wheel trim members which are adapted to cover at least a portion of a vehicle wheel for decorative purposes. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wheel trim assembly having a centrally disposed retention means for retaining or securing a wheel trim member to an associated wheel. Preferably, the centrally disposed retention means includes a center lock bolt to provide a theft resistant wheel trim assembly.
The loss of wheel trim members has been a problem faced by vehicle owners for many years. It is important to have a wheel trim member with sufficiently strong retention means to withstand the substantial jarring forces which are applied to the wheel trim member when a vehicle is in motion over an uneven road surface. Otherwise the trim member will separate from the associated wheel to which it is attached, resulting in loss of or damage to the trim member.
In addition, the theft of wheel trim members and of wheels themselves has been a problem faced by vehicle owners for many years. Wheel trim members are often valuable and, hence, attractive to dishonest characters engaged in thievery. Therefore, it is very desirable to provide a wheel trim assembly with both secure and theft resistant retention features. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, although a theft resistant device does not preclude theft, it may be effective to increase the difficulties encountered by a thief. The increased difficulties may be sufficient to cause the thief to abandon the attempt. Even if the thief does not abandon the venture, the increased difficulties increase the time required to effect the removal of the wheel trim and therefore increase the chances of the thief being caught in the act of thievery. Of course, it will also be appreciated that while a secure and theft-resistant wheel trim member should be effective in discouraging theft, it should also be subject to easy removal by an authorized person.
An additional area of concern with wheel trim utilizing a center retention arrangement for securing the trim member to a vehicle wheel is how to prevent relative rotation between the trim member and the vehicle wheel. While at first impression this may appear to be easily resolved, the problem is compounded by the fact that often the valve stem opening provided in the associated vehicle wheel is not precisely located with respect to the lug nut openings but rather may vary over a substantial angular range (on the order of .+-.20.degree.). Because with many types of wheel trim, an opening is provided through which the valve stem extends, it is necesssary that the wheel trim be positionable with this opening properly located to accommodate the valve stem.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wheel trim assembly which may be securely retained on a wheel, is theft resistant, and yet can be easily removed by an authorized person and includes means to effectively inhibit relative rotation of the trim member with respect to the vehicle wheel yet allows a wide range of angular positioning of the trim member with respect to the vehicle wheel. Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel trim assembly which can be economically manufactured and securely attached to an associated wheel. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a wheel trim assembly which is aesthetically appealing and which incorporates retention means located out of sight of casual observers. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a theft resistant wheel trim assembly which is resistant to the effects of weather elements and road salt and is suitable for long term use in the northern climates where salt is frequently applied to icy roads.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.